States and Graduate School

Workout notes Morning: 5.1-5.2 mile run in 50:59; 40:03 just past 4, 1:28 (cars), 9:26 for the final 1.03. It was cool (37 F) and I saw the sun rise; it was very pretty. Clear skies. But I had to do the flatter course because the visibility wasn’t good enough to push on the hilly course.

Still….with the same effort this was 41-45 “in the day”. Grumble. But I can focus on…well, focusing and keeping the legs turning over.

Academia
Ok, the professors exaggerated the number of hours they spend on the job. But if you have much of a life aside from your research, you are unlikely to be any good. If you don’t do well at the start, don’t expect to do well in research if you end up at a “teaching university” with a 12 hour, 3 prep. teaching load. Your discipline WILL pass you by…expect it.

A “teaching job” does have its rewards but there are liabilities, and it is possible to go from a research job to a teaching job…but almost impossible to go the other way. Think of it as a irreversible thermodynamic process. :)

To keep track of my training. I train for ultramarathons (I usually walk these) and sometimes do running races, bicycle rides and open water swims for variety. My best ultra accomplishment was walking 101 miles in 24 hours in 2004. These days, I walk a marathon every once in a while (5:30 to 7 hours) There was a time when I could run a sub 40 minute 10K (did that once), but that was another lifetime ago; these a days 2427-28 25 minutes for a 5K would be more like it. I also have an off and on interest in yoga and in weight training. My lifetime PB in the bench is 310; currently I do sets of 4 with 175.

From time to time, I post what I am thinking about mathematically

I often post links to science articles, especially articles about cosmology and evolution.

I am very sympathetic to the “new atheist” movement, though some might consider me to be an agnostic. I reject any notion of a deity that interferes with physical events, but remain agnostic to the idea that there might be something “grand and wonderful” (Dawkins’ phrase) outside of our current spacetime continuum.

I am a liberal Democrat who thinks that the current social atmosphere is tilted way too far toward the interests of big business, and I reject the idea that a “free market” cures all ills, though pure socialism doesn’t work either. I am also a believer in the freedom of speech, including speech that I might not like. Also, I’ve been involved (to a moderate degree) with political campaigns, ranging from City Council races up to Presidential races.

Since being targeted by neo-nazis, I’ve started to identify with the anti-racist and the anti-fa movements.

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My Liberal Identity:

Ollie is a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Barbara's Liberal Identity:

Barbara is a Peace Patroller, also known as an anti-war liberal or neo-hippie. She believes in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.

Created by OnePlusYouBlog Roll Notes
As of March 20, 2010, I went through my longer blogroll and deleted links that no longer work. Be advised that some blogs have not been updated and others have been moved, but you can get to the new address via the old one.
I've read and visited all of these sites at one time or another. However, I've decided to post a separate list of those blogs which I read regularly (some daily, others periodically).
My list of my regular reads
Humor